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Directions for Dialogue

Ten Years of CDP at Cornell

June 3 - 4, 2023
Ithaca, New York

Join us as we ask together: what good does dialogue enact in the world, and how can we continue imagining more inclusive ways of connecting with one another?

This conference-meets-reunion event, a collaboration between the Center for Dialogue & Pluralism (CDP; formerly the Intergroup Dialogue Project) and ILR WIDE, will convene ten years of CDP alumni, CDP’s campus partners, and DEI faculty experts on the Cornell Ithaca campus to reflect on CDP’s achievements, learn about CDP’s impact in spaces beyond Cornell, and identify new directions for dialogic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion work both on campus and beyond.

About

Since the founding of the Center for Dialogue & Pluralism (CDP; formerly Intergroup Dialogue Project) at Cornell in 2012, our program has expanded exponentially beyond our initial 40-person undergraduate course. Today, CDP’s work includes eight credit-bearing courses, orientation sessions for all incoming undergraduate students, college-wide initiatives to support faculty teaching, and more. A noteworthy development is a pathbreaking collaboration with ILR: the Center for Workplace Inclusion & Diversity Education (ILR WIDE), a key sponsor for this conference. While CDP’s programs have branched out in a multitude of directions, the heart of the program is still a commitment to communication across difference and critical hope, one that scrutinizes the structures of inequity we inhabit and chooses to believe in everyone’s capacity to create a more inclusive future. For this reason, as we celebrate ten years of achievement and impact, we also want to reflect collectively with our broader community (alumni, campus partners, and current students) in June 2023 for a reunion and conference, Directions for Dialogue: Ten Years CDP at Cornell.

In true dialogue fashion, our vision for this event is a collaborative effort to teach and learn from the unique experiences, perspectives, and expertise of our CDP community. Through industry-specific roundtable discussions, skill-sharing workshops, and community-building events, we will identify current DEI issues, practice dialogue-based skills and methods for approaching them, and build a network of support across industries. With ILR WIDE faculty, we will also examine the possibilities for dialogue in the workplace. Ultimately, we seek to understand: what good does dialogue enact in the world, and how can we continue imagining more inclusive ways of connecting with one another?

Directions for Dialogue: Ten Years of CDP at Cornell will convene our broader community to identify new directions for dialogic approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion work both on campus and beyond.

Schedule

Saturday, June 3

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Welcome Breakfast
Statler Ballroom
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
The Impact of Cornell CDP: Reviewing & Assessing 10 Years of DEI Innovation

Since its founding in 2012, CDP has consistently adapted to meet the evolving needs of Cornell’s community and to address broader socio-political issues. During this interactive presentation, we will outline the four key development areas underlying our work in recent years: human connection, social identity, intergroup communication, and strategic change. In addition to sharing CDP’s impact in each development area, we will also explore core pedagogical practices and values that have guided the program in the past decade.

Statler Ballroom
10:55 AM – 12:10 PM
Dialogue in the Workplace Panel

How do we understand the most pressing DEI issues in the workplace at this moment? How can dialogue help us address these issues and create more inclusive and effective work environments? We will frame this plenary session by hearing from a panel of ILR faculty experts and seasoned dialogue practitioners. The session will include significant small and large group conversations, as well as opportunities to engage with our panelists.

Statler Ballroom
12:10 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch
Statler Ballroom
1:20 PM – 2:45 PM
Social Identity & LARA Session

One of CDP’s key pedagogical achievements has been a redefinition of social identity that serves two purposes: it interrogates our relationships to systems of power and access, and it allows us to recognize everyone’s responsibility and capacity to impact change. In this session, we will introduce our framework for thinking about identity and use LARA, our principal method for communication across difference, to explore our own relationships to social identity.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
2:55 PM – 3:55 PM
Dialogue in Context: Alumni Perspectives

Part of what makes dialogue an effective intervention is its adaptability. Whether in a clinical setting, a corporate office, or a classroom, dialogue encourages us to approach challenges with an intent to understand different perspectives and collaborate towards more inclusive and equitable outcomes. This session will help us think concretely about applying dialogue in our own specific industries and fields, as we hear from alumni panelists about how they use dialogue in their professional contexts.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
4:05 PM – 5:30 PM
Strategic Change & Strategic Questioning Session

For many, the biggest challenge in change processes is not identifying issues, but figuring out how to start confronting them. CDP has developed frameworks to help reflect intentionally about our individual agency and responsibility to promote inclusion and equity. In this session, we will introduce these frameworks and collaboratively explore how we can personally and collectively effect change through the use of a key tool, strategic questioning.

Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
6:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Reception

Join us for a cocktail hour reception to connect with other members of the CDP and ILR WIDE community

Baker Portico
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Closing Remarks & Dinner
Clark Atrium

Sunday, June 4

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
CDP Reunion Brunch
Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
CDP Alumni Initiatives

(CDP alumni and student facilitators only)

Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Closing

(CDP alumni and student facilitators only)

Toni Morrison Multipurpose Room

Registration has closed.

CDP is committed to remaining financially accessible. There are no fees to register for Directions for Dialogue.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided on Saturday. Brunch will be provided on Sunday. 

Financial Assistance

Limited funding opportunities will be available to CDP facilitators (current or former) with demonstrated need to help cover travel and lodging expenses. Funding priority will be determined based on the attendee’s needs, their role in planning, volunteering for and/or leading parts of the conference, and demonstrated commitment to CDP. 

Register by March 15 to be considered for financial assistance. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by April 1.

This conference is by invitation only.

Please contact dialogue@cornell.edu with questions.

Sponsors